Turkish students get probation for Nazi salute at Auschwitz

December 10, 2013 2:24pm

WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — Two Turkish students arrested for making a Nazi salute at the gates of Auschwitz were sentenced to probation and a fine.

The students, both 22 and studying history in Budapest, were found guilty Monday in a Polish court of “promoting National Socialism” and “desecration of a memorial.” They were given probation for a six-month suspended jail sentence and fined before being set free.

They admitted to taking photos of each other in front of the gate to the former Nazi death camp under the iconic sign “Arbeit macht frei,” or work makes you free, while performing the Nazi salute.

In October, two other students from Turkey made similar gestures at the museum at Majdanek at a group of Israeli students.